RYMAN PREMIER DIVISION
Att: 503
SUTTON UNITED – 2 [Forrester 40. Thompson 90]
PURFLEET – 2 [Coombs 4. Georgiou 44]
So, whats next after getting dumped out of the league cup by a bunch of Amateurs?? Ahh, yes, a visit from an agricultural Essex side. Lovely, can’t wait.
And just 3 days after that pile of cack, we’re up against a side that hasn’t won a game yet this season. Another home defeat anyone?
The side hasn’t changed much from Tuesday. Dunn keeps his place in goal due to Howells picking up a groin injury. Also still in is Scotty Forrester, partnering Nartey up front once more. Once again, captain marvel, Dave Harlow is selected. I give up, I really do.
The signs that today will be an improvement are’nt good as after about 40 seconds we poorly concede a corner. The danger is cleared, but 3 minutes later and Purfleet stroll into the lead. A break from midfield is unchallenged, mainly due to Harlow being on the edge of his own sodding area. His attempt to stop this attack is to stick his arse in the way of the attackers pass. This cleverly diverts the ball into the path of a visiting striker who squares for Coombs to scoop the ball into the net. Well, that was fucking brilliant was’nt it lads?? Nice touch by the way Dave.
The U’s players stand and stare at each other bewildered. Come on you tossers, it’s not like it’s the first time this season a team has strolled past you and scored a piss easy goal is it??
This is the only real event of any consequence for the next half hour. Purfleet have our back line scrambling around a couple of more times and the closest they come to adding to their tally is a header nodded just wide with Dunn in close attendance. Our only real chance falls to Harlow whose 20 yard drive from Nartey’s clever lay off is just wide. Apart from this, most of our forays forwards die a death on the edge of the visitors box, due mainly to poorly placed passes. Then, out of nowhere, our lot stun us completely by scoring.
With only around 5 minutes to the break, some decent movement finds Harford out wide (What the hell is HE doing there?) to swing a cross into the near post where Scotty Forrester leaps and heads the ball across goal and inside the far post. Bloody Hell, where did that come from!?! We’re a touch relieved, but also pissed off at the fact that it shows just what we are capable of if we actually apply ourselves. Bob comments that it makes a change for us to score on half time rather that the oppo. Uh oh.
With barely seconds left in the half we concede a corner. The kick is aimed at the near post and a Purfleet forward rises to guide the ball into the far corner. Heads go into hands on the shoebox as the players replay the bewildered look thing again. I have to admit though, this conceding goals right on half time malarky is fucking really REALLY starting to wear thin. Before, it had a mildly comic value to it. Now, it’s just simply not funny and I wish we’d STOP BLOODY DOING IT! Jesus christ, how hard is it to actually concentrate for 45 minutes?? I mean a lapse once in a while, ok, fine, but every other fucking week really is pushing it a little.
Quite what the 2 managers tell their respective teams during the break is beyond me. Probably summat along the lines of “Now go out there and send ‘em all into a coma” as the second half is as big a shambles as the first. Neither side can pass to save their lives. Purfleet look quite happy to settle for their not-that-hard earned win as we look utterly incapable of producing anything remotely threatening. Forrester is withdrawn (injured?) and replaced by Ekoku. Nartey follows shortly after on a stretcher, having over extended himself whilst challenging the ‘keeper for a 50-50 ball. Hamstring maybe? He’s replaced by Thompson.
More dull crap follows, but with the home side actually managing to keep the ball in the opposition half for more than 7 seconds at a time and we even produce a couple of mildly worrying moments for the visitors. But it’s not until the last minute that a cross from the right finds sub Thompson about 12 yards out unmarked. Thankfully he accepts this complete sitter and thumps the ball into the top corner. The Purfleet players look like they’ve been robbed. They probably have.
Great, another point we barely deserved and our injury list grows even more. Quite what JR and Taylor have been up to in training escapes me (the use of blunt instruments fits the profile). With Hodges, Howells, Salako, Riley and M-J unavailable and now Nartey and Forrester joining them, we have a very Blunt-esque problem arising. I just really get this horrible feeling that this season is going to blow out in a big way very soon.
Oh, did I mention I thought we were shit?
MAN OF THE MATCH : Err, did’nt see one from where I was standing.
ENTERTAINMENT : 1. My god we were shit. (Again….)
TEAM : Dunn, Walker, Gray, Hammonds, Palmer, Harford, Harlow, Bolt,Westcott, Nartey, Forrester SUBS : Thompson, Ekoku, Sears